Day 4: Tokyo Traffic Control Center, JP Tower Museum Intermediatheque, Tokyo Station

With Day 4 of JENESYS 2019 Youth Exchange for Media Industry up and done, I can gladly say that it was a truly fun ride!

With our itinerary made of up places such as the Traffic Control Center, the JP Tower Museum Intermediatheque, as well as a Shinkansen ride, and topped with an izakaya dinner, who wouldn’t want more?

Anywho, buckle up and get ready for a ride! We will talk about Japan's transportation system with a side of museum-exploring!

SCI-FI-ESQUE--The Traffic Control Center’s control room gives you the “woah”moment as soon as you see it. Photo taken by Jigs Almera.

What's unique about the Traffic Control Center in Tokyo is that it is responsible for monitoring the status of Tokyo's roads and streets.

Moreover, the Traffic Control Center has a huge arsenal of tools and vehicles which aid in providing better service to Japan’s residents and commuters. The Control Center uses approximately 17,000 cameras and detectors installed in the streets, as well as road vehicles and helicopters.

Apart from this, the Traffic Control Center gets data from people in the field. They would often get reports from their field officers (usually located on the streets and/or aboard helicopters), as well as civilians who would report emergencies on the road.

The Traffic Control Center’s control room would then receive reports and information from the field. A huge monitor dominating the room presents a live feed of information regarding the status of the roads. Acting as a huge map wherein the officers would take in information (i.e., traffic level, congestion, road closures, etc.)

With the information received, the control room would then give advisory to the officers as well as motorists on the status of the roads.

More or less, the visit was nothing short of magical; the wide and breath-taking place would awe anyone, pedestrians and motorists alike. The Traffic Control Center’s employment of technology is essential in bringing about better traffic services to the motorists in Japan.

PRIMERS--Welcoming you into the museum are flyers which guide you to the museum’s diverse collection as well as its history. Photo taken by Abigail Amon.

Located within the heart of Tokyo is the JP Tower Museum Intermediatheque. The museum boasts of its huge collection, ranging from ornithological taxidermy to historical artifacts such as pottery from around the globe, skeletons of huge animals, as well as those of pop culture!

The Intermediatheque gave us a unique experience. It is not your ‘generic’ contemporary museum as it gives you a perspective not only on the history and culture of Japan, it also allows you to you explore the rich and diverse stories each artifact can give.

Right beside the JP Tower is the Tokyo Station. The Tokyo Station serves as the main inter-city rail terminal in Tokyo, with it being serviced by the Shinkansen high-speed rail lines.

While waiting for your train ride, you may also visit the Character Street within the station! If you like Animé and other Japanese characters, then this place is for you! With a Pokémon Center, Jump shop, and a Ghibli Store, you can indulge yourself with their official merchandise.

Moving on, the Shinkansen ride was an absolute bliss! Even though it goes to high-speed, the ride was smooth; it feels as if you were riding an airplane (apart from not having any turbulence).

The distance between Nagoya City and Japan (354.3 km) can be travelled within approximately two hours with the Shinkansen--twice, if taken by car.

If you want to experience more of Japan, you may buy a Japan Rail Pass (commonly known as JR Pass) for a cost-effective and long-distance travel in Japan. You can get a pass which lasts you for a week at less than 30,000 Japanese Yen, more or less PHP 15,000.

Nagoya City is one of the largest cities in Japan. According to our guide, Ms. Hiromi Takita, Nagoya is a shipping hub in Honshu.

The city was beautiful. Like Tokyo, some of its streets were lined with Ginko trees.

After arriving, we had dinner at an izakaya. Izakayas are Japanese taverns which offer a fun dining experience. More or less, these taverns can be considered as gastropubs. If you’re fond of gastropubs, then you’d surely enjoy izakaya dining.

This time, we had Japanese hotpot (Shabu-Shabu). I couldn’t really say anything else, except that it was really delicious!

After dinner, we retired to our hotel rooms and called it a day (while some went to explore more of the city).